cybersense guide revision jan 2009 - MediaSmarts · CyberSense and Nonsense is an interdisciplinary...

Teacher's Guide

This project was made possible by a financial contribution from Industry Canada’s SchoolNet Program

© 2009 Media Awareness Network

2 www.media-awareness.ca © 2009 Media Awareness Network

CyberSense and Nonsense is the second online adventure of the three CyberPigs. In their first adventure, Privacy Playground, the pigs learn to protect their personal privacy online and to recognize Internet marketing ploys. This time, they explore the world of online chat rooms.

In this game, Les, Mo and Lil Pig learn some valuable lessons about the authenticity of online information, as well as rules of netiquette. The game also addresses the problematic issues of online hate and stereotyping.

This Teacher's Guide contains background information, discussion guides, activities and exercises that support the main "cyber-lessons" in the game.

Both the game and guide are intended for personal or educational use only. Worksheets, handouts and activities in the Teacher's Guide may be reproduced for personal or classroom use without per-mission, provided the copyright notice remains intact.

CyberSense and Nonsense: The Second Adventure of the Three CyberPigs

Teacher's Guide



Table of Contents Rationale 5

The Goal of CyberSense and Nonsense 5

Curricular Fits 5

Unit Objectives

Knowledge 6

Skills 6

Values 6

Pre-Game Discussion and Activities

Summary of the Game 7

Sequence One 7

Sequence Two 7

Sequence Three 7

Sequence Four 8

Sequences Five and Six 8

About Prejudice 9

Using the Internet 10

Communicating Electronically 10

Netiquette 11

Research on the Web 11

Post-Game Discussion and Activities

Reviewing the Game 12

Sequence One 12

Sequences Two and Three 13

Sequences Four and Five 14

Sequence Six 15



Extension Activities

Stories from a Different Point of View 16

Breaking Stereotypes 16

Create Some Online Rules 16

Create a Board Game 16

Handouts

Seeds of Discrimination

Netiquette – It's Easy!

Spotting Stereotypes

No Stereotypes

Wolves: Facts or Opinions?

Wolves Facts or Opinions? Answer Sheet

Are You Web-Aware?: Checklist for kids ages 9-12

Internet Glossary


Rationale

Cyber-hate, the spread of online hate propaganda, is an issue of growing public concern – especially because of its power to influence children and young people. It is estimated that there are over 8,000 hate sites on the Internet today, according to the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Education strategies are needed to help children learn to detect bias and recognize propaganda, both online and off. Students need guidance, experience, critical-thinking skills and evaluation strategies to decide for themselves whether the information and ideas they encounter on the Internet are legitimate.

The Goal of CyberSense and Nonsense CyberSense and Nonsense is designed to help children between the ages of nine and twelve to understand the difference between biased and prejudicial information, and factual and objective information. The game is intended to alert children to the fact that information is not necessarily correct just because it’s on the Internet. The game also introduces children to the concepts of stereotyping and racism on the Internet; and to the code of conduct – commonly known as “Netiquette” – expected of participants on the Net.

Curricular Fits CyberSense and Nonsense is an interdisciplinary module that can be integrated into Language Arts, Social Studies, Drama, Conflict Resolution and Computer Technology programs. The program can be used to enhance:

• critical-thinking and problem solving

• citizenship education

• communication training

• personal development

• aesthetic expression

• technological competence and Web literacy


Teacher's Guide



Unit Objectives

Knowledge

Students will learn:

• that what they read, see or hear in the media should not be taken at face value

• that all information should be critically evaluated

• the meaning of the words stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination

• the relationship between attitudes (such as unfair generalizations, stereotyping and prejudice) and discriminatory behaviour

• how discriminatory behaviour hurts both the victim and the perpetrator

Skills

Students will develop:

• research skills, as they learn how to gather and verify information from Internet sites and other media sources

• the critical-thinking skills required to identify stereotyping, prejudice and bias, and to understand their consequences

Values

Students will appreciate:

• the worth and dignity of every human being, regardless of culture, gender, age and ability

• the positive contributions of people who are different from themselves

• the personal role they can play in helping to prevent stereotyping and discriminatory behaviour

• the importance of being accountable for their own online behaviour



Pre-Game Discussion And Activities

Summary of the Game

Sequence One The story of CyberSense and Nonsense begins with an introduction to Les, Lil and Mo Pig, and a brief overview of their first adventure, Privacy Playground.

In Privacy Playground, Les, Lil and Mo Pig have a bad experience when they meet an un-scrupulous wolf on the Internet. The wolf tricks unsuspecting Les into a real-world meeting. Luckily, Mom arrives on the scene in time to prevent any real damage – but as we discover in CyberSense and Nonsense, the experience leaves Les with a definite bias against wolves.

As today's adventure begins, Lil and Mo invite Les to join them at the Skateboarders' Chat Club. Les, remembering his chat room experience from the previous game, is hesitant. But Lil reassures him and tells him to remember his safety rules — so off they go!

Sequence Two At the Skateboarders' Chat Room Les is introduced to Wolfie, the club's newest member. Incensed that a wolf is a member of his club, Les sends Wolfie an insulting e-mail – much to the dismay of his friends and other chat-room members.

Sequence Three Lil reminds Les of the Skateboarders' first Rule of Netiquette: treat others with respect.

Cyber-lesson 1

Watch out! You don't always know the real identity of people you chat with on the Internet.

Cyber-lesson 2

"Flaming", or insulting others, is not acceptable behaviour on the Internet.

Cyber-lesson 3

Guidelines exist for good manners on the Internet, just as they do for behaviour in the real world.



Sequence Four Another member of the chat club – Hunter Duck – also hates wolves. When he sees Les Pig's message, he invites Les to visit the "We Hate Wolves" home page. There Les is presented with some negative and biased wolf facts and testimonials. Instead of questioning this information, Les immediately passes it on to the other club members – escalating his e-mails from insults to full-scale attacks. Luckily for Wolfie, the other club members immediately put Les in his place for his inappropriate behaviour.

Sequences Five and Six Embarrassed, Les realizes that he has acted rashly, and he begins to search for more balanced information about wolves from more reliable sources. As he compares the new facts about wolves to the We Hate Wolves site, Les recognizes that he was misled. And when he receives insulting messages about pigs, he also understands how it feels to be on the receiving end of flaming. Les apologizes to Wolfie, and rejoins the fun at the Skateboarders' Chat Club.

Cyber-lesson 4

"Flaming" is considered bad behaviour, and can have serious consequences.

Cyber-lesson 5 You can't believe everything you read on the Internet. Always

check your information!



About Prejudice

The words bias, stereotype, prejudice and discrimination are often used interchangeably. Although they’re related to one another, each word has a distinct meaning. Ask students to define and discuss these terms.

Bias Bias is a one-sided view that a person may hold for some reason. For example, if two people have a fight in the schoolyard, each one would report the incident according to his/her point of view. Other people who saw the fight might also have a certain point of view when they tell the story – depending on their own life ex-periences, and their feelings about the people involved.

Stereotype This word derives from the old-fashioned process of making metal plates of letters of the alphabet for printing purposes. It refers to a "set" or "fixed" image. When applied to people, the word describes an instant assumption about a group of people – as if all people in the group were the same, like cookies cut with the same cookie cutter.

The problem with stereotypes is that they often give us an incomplete or misleading picture, based on generalizations about groups of people – but without taking into account the diverse characteristics of individual members.

But when stereotypes are repeated again and again – on the Internet and in songs, stories, jokes and the news media – we may come to believe that they’re true.

Prejudice A prejudice is a belief or attitude we have about a particular person or group of people. Prejudice is similar to bias. This word means “to judge before” – that is, to jump to conclusions about people without actually knowing them.

All these attitudes – bias, stereotyping and prejudice – are like programmed thinking: they cause people to act in push-button ways, without really thinking about an issue or seeing all sides of an argument.

Discrimination Discrimination occurs when we actually treat an individual or group unfavourably because of a stereotype, prejudice or bias. Unfortunately, people often discriminate against others they see as different from themselves.

Talk About It Place the overhead transparency Seeds of Discrimination onto the overhead projector or distribute copies of the handout to students.

In this chart you can see how a person's beliefs and attitudes can lead to negative behaviours and actions. Why does everybody lose when this happens?



: ) happy

; ) happy with a winking eye

: D happy with a big open-mouthed grin

: > sarcastic

: O surprised or shocked

: ( sad

: I stone-faced

8 D smiling wearing glasses

• How do you think stereotyping, prejudice, bias and discrimination hurt the victims? • What negative consequences are there for people who mistreat others because they make pre-judgments

based on stereotypes? • How can negative attitudes like these limit your own life experiences?

Using the Internet

In addition to teaching kids about stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination, CyberSense and Nonsense also addresses elements of the Web such as electronic communication, netiquette and online research.

Communicating Electronically If you ask kids what they like best about the Internet, chances are their answer will be "talking to friends."

Each day millions of kids – and adults – use the Internet and wireless technology such as cellphones to stay in touch with family, friends and people they know, as well as to meet new people from all around the world.

In many of these electronic conversations, "text messaging" is used instead of the spoken word. This can have advantages (and disadvantages!) over verbal or face-to-face conversations.

Ask students to brainstorm some of the non-verbal or non-face-to-face ways we communicate electronically. Exam-ples might include:

• text messaging through cellphones • instant messaging • e-mail • chat rooms • message boards

Using text to talk has led to a whole new way of communicating. Like most communities of like-minded people, the online world has its own private language. For instance, a smiley (or emoticon) is a combination of characters that form a face when you tilt your head sideways to look at it. Emoticons are a fun way to communicate feelings on the Internet, especially in instant messages, e-mail and online chat. Some examples include:

Kids also enjoy using abbreviations such as lol (laugh out loud), cu (see you) and pos (parent over shoulder).

• Ask students to share some of their favourite emoticons and abbreviations. (A challenge might be to trans-late a well-known phrase in text-talk.)



Netiquette Just as there are rules for behaviour at home or in the classroom, there are informal rules of good conduct on the Internet. This is called netiquette. For example, spamming (sending junk e-mail) is considered bad netiquette.

A flame is considered a major breach of netiquette. That's when rude, racist or ludicrous messages are sent by text messaging or e-mail, or appear in chat rooms.

Ask students:

• Has anyone participated in chat rooms or instant messaging? • For those who have participated in chat rooms, what kind of chat groups were they? • What are some of the differences between these virtual conversations and face-to-face conversations? • Has anyone ever had a misunderstanding with someone they were communicating with online?

(For example, where a joke fell flat because the friend didn't realize it was meant to be funny.) Review and discuss the points in the handout Netiquette – It's Easy!.

Research on the Web When students are doing a research project for school, the Internet can be a helpful resource. But because many students accept most Web content at face value, it's important to help them think critically about online information.

Ask your students:

• How many of you use the Internet for research?

• What kind of information do you look for?

• How do you go about finding the online information you need? Not all information found on the Internet is correct. Anyone can create a Web page, and it’s often difficult to tell the difference between fact and opinion. Ask students:

• What’s the difference between fact and opinion? (Facts are known to be true. Opinions are unproven be-liefs, which may contain personal bias.)

However, there are many ways for students to verify what they find online. They should ask:

• Does the information come from sites recommended by their teacher or school? • Is the site maintained by a reputable source such as a government department, educational organization,

well-known institution or federal agency? • Can the statements on the site be proven?

Students should remember this guideline: When in doubt, check it out. If you're unsure how accurate the information is, ask a

teacher or librarian for help.



Post-Game Discussion and Activities Have students play CyberSense and Nonsense individually or in pairs, and then take the whole class through the game again, sequence by sequence, to reinforce important points.

Reviewing the Game

Sequence One

• What does Les Pig do when Lil invites him to skateboard over to the Skateboarding Chat Club?

• What is Les thinking about when he shakes in fear? From the CyberPigs' first adventure, we know that Les had a bad experience with wolves. But is he right in assuming that all wolves are bad? In real life, we know that people, like wolves, are individuals – every one of us is different.

Activity

When we use stereotypes, we reinforce the incorrect idea that all members of a group all share similar characteristics – rather than each person being individual within a larger group.

Have students come up with common stereotypes for different groups of people, for example: skateboarders have no respect for others, girls are gossips, etc. Then ask them to think of individuals they know. Are these individuals like the stereotypes?

To illustrate how multi-faceted each person is, ask students to stand up (and then sit down) when you call out each of the following variables. Tell them to keep track of how many times they stand up. (Feel free to customize these categories according to the make-up of your class.)

Stand up if you:

• What does this tell us about ourselves? (That each of us fits into a number of different categories. One label does not accurately reflect who we are.)

• What does this tell us about stereotyping? (That stereotypes – which classify us according to narrow categories – can never fully define or represent a person or a group.)

• Are a girl • Are a boy • Are 9 • Are 10 • Are 11 • Are 12 • Wear glasses • Like hamburgers • Use instant messaging

• Were born in Canada • Were born in another country • Have any pets • Have any siblings • Like to skateboard • Like rap or hip hop • Like anime • Are superstitious • Like science

• Play sports • Enjoy doing art • Like pop music • Like video games • Are blond • Have dark hair • Have a logo on your clothes • Volunteer in the community



Sequences Two and Three

1. Discuss the message that Les sends to Wolfie. What’s wrong with it? Your students’ answers should include the following points:

• Name-calling (What kind of wimp are you, Wolfie?)

• Provoking or "flaming" (You think you're so tough, with your fangs and howls)

• Accusing someone without any reason or proof (Real skateboarders don't steal tips from nice animals)

• Making other people angry or upset (Wolfie starts to cry in response to Les Pig's comments)

2. What rule of netiquette did Les Pig break? (The most important rule: Treat other people with respect.)

• How did Les break the rule? (Have students go back to Les Pig's e-mail message to Wolfie for examples of misbehaviour: name calling, flaming, false accusation and promoting bad feelings.)

Discuss Zorf Spudnik’s response:

In the following instant message conversations, Sk8tr and MegaGurl disagree about a movie. MegaGurl behaves rudely towards her friend in both instances, but in one, she crosses the line from being rude to flaming. Ask students: In which conversation does she cross the line? How do you know?

Take a minute and have students rewrite this conversation in a way that MegaGurl and Sk8tr can respectfully dis-agree without being rude or insulting.

Being able to speak your mind is important. But most schools, public libraries and Internet companies have policies that tell people what's going too far.

Surfers who are hateful and cruel can lose their accounts.

Sk8tr: have u seen the new SpazTroop-ers movie? it rocks!

MegaGurl: gross -- it bombed big-time man!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sk8tr: well, i thought the special effects were cool.

MegaGurl: watching my hamster on his exercise wheel is more exciting!

Sk8tr: whatever….

c Sk8tr: have u seen the new SpazTroopers movie? it rocks!

MegaGurl: u loser! how can you think that piece of junk wuz good?

Sk8tr: well, i thought the special effects were cool.

MegaGurl: maybe, like if you're 6 years old or something -- what an idiot!

Sk8tr: sorry i asked….



Sequences Four and Five

Review again how Les Pig reacted to Wolfie at the beginning of Sequence Two. What causes such push-button reactions in people?

Place the transparency Seeds of Discrimination onto the overhead projector again, and review the terms bias, stereotype, prejudice and discrimination. Discuss how Les Pig's beliefs and attitudes resulted in negative behaviour. Ask students what were the consequences of discrimination for:

• the victim (Wolfie) • the discriminator (Les) • the wider group (the Skateboarders' Chat Club)

Activity

Les Pig starts the game with a bias against wolves because of his experience in Privacy Playground. But there are two sides to every story.

• Have students develop a skit showing how two news reporters – one from the TV station WOLF and the other from its rival station, PIGG – might have reported the story of Les Pig and Wolfie on their newscasts.

Role-playing What kinds of stereotyping or discrimination have students experienced themselves? Ask them to form groups and present brief skits to share their experiences. (For example, a group of girls might do a skit about trying to join a group of boys playing basketball, only to be told that “girls can't play basketball as well as boys.” Another group might role-play going into a store and being treated with suspicion by the sales staff, who are convinced that all teens are shoplifters.) Afterwards, discuss the ways in which these stereotypes overpower the characteristics of real people. Brainstorm ways to handle such situations.

• Form two teams, one of boys and one of girls. From TV and other media, have the boys list the female traits and interests that are most commonly featured, while the girls do the same for male characteristics and concerns

Have each group list key words that indicate common male and female stereotypes.

When this is done, ask the girls in the class to comment on the female stereotypes, and the boys to comment on the male stereotypes.

If you wish to explore stereotyping further, ask students to complete the worksheets Spotting Stereotypes and No Stereotypes.



Sequence Six

Ask students:

• What is the key point made by Zorf Spudnik at the end of the story? (“Don't believe everything you see on the Internet. Just because it's there, doesn't mean it's true.”)

• What was the mistake that Les Pig made? (He didn't distinguish between fact and opinion; and he reacted before checking out whether the anti-wolf statements were true.)

Write these two sentences on the board:

A fact is something that has been proven to be true.

An opinion is an unproven belief.

Facts can be easily proven to be true or false.

• What are some examples of facts?

• How do we know they are true?

• What about opinions? What are some examples? Can they be proven? Now write these two statements on the board:

Teenagers are lazy Some teenagers are lazy

Which statement is a fact? Which statement is an opinion? Why? (The first statement makes a biased generalization about all teenagers. It can easily be proven that not all teenagers are lazy, so this is therefore only an opinion. The second statement uses the adjective “some” to avoid implying this is true about all teenagers. It can be proven that some teenagers are in fact lazy, so this can be considered a fact.)

Activity Facts vs. Opinions Have students complete the handout Wolves: Facts or Opinions?. Tell them to read each statement carefully, taking note of generalizations and language. Remind students that it is not enough for an assertion to be expressed as a fact – it must be proven true before it can be accepted. Remind students not to use information unless they can prove it's true, or verify it from another source.

Two Web sites students can visit to verify the statements about wolves are:

The Canadian Wildlife Service, Mammal Fact Sheet: Wolf http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=107

The Gray Wolf Page of the Wildlife Preservation Trust International www.thewildones.org/Animals/grayWolf.html

http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=107

http://www.thewildones.org/Animals/grayWolf.html



Extension Activities

Stories from a Different Point of View

Obtain a copy of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by Jon Scieszka, from your school or public library. This humorous tale recounts the classic story from the wolf's perspective: a mild-mannered wolf is confronted with three rude and aggressive pig neighbours. After reading this story to your class, ask students to think of other stories or fairy tales that feature stereotypical villains such as evil witches, wicked stepmothers or cruel giants. Have them rewrite a familiar story from the perspective of one of these characters.

Breaking Stereotypes

Choose some groups which are sometimes negatively stereotyped – such as Aboriginal peoples, teens, rock musicians, visible minorities, etc. Assign groups of students to design an imaginary Web page, with text and images, on the positive contributions of either an individual or several people within that group. (If the technology is available at your school, students might like to create actual Web pages.)

Display the Web pages and share the stories within the class and with other classes.

Create Some Online Rules

• Netiquette is part of good citizenship on the Web. What are other characteristics of a responsible netizen?

• Brainstorm a list of online rules for safe and responsible Internet use, based both on the CyberPigs game and on other ideas contributed by students. (You can use the Media Awareness Network's Are you Web Aware? checklist as a guide.)

Create a Board Game

Students can work in small groups to create a Three CyberPigs board game that reflects the lessons they have learned about stereotyping and netiquette. In the games, the pigs could encounter obstacles that slow their progress, or acquire useful ideas, knowledge and information that speed them towards their goal.

For more lessons on stereotyping and the Internet, check out the Lesson Library in the For Teachers section of the Media Awareness Network Web site at http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/teachers/index.cfm.

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/teachers/index.cfm

www.media-awareness.ca © 2009 Media Awareness Network

Handouts


Seeds of Discrimination

When we THINK negatively about others (bias, stereotyping and prejudice) this can lead to TREATING them negatively (discrimination).

When this happens, EVERYBODY loses.


Netiquette – It’s Easy! Nobody likes to be treated disrespectfully. This is true in the real world and on the Internet.

The principles of netiquette (online manners) are easy to learn. Just remember these five simple rules when you're chatting, e-mailing and instant messaging.

Rule 1: Play nicely with others

The first rule of netiquette is to treat others with respect. Never use language that is aggressive, rude or hateful. Avoid using capital letters – it’s like YELLING at someone. It’s better to use symbols to communicate your emotions.

Rule 2: Respect people’s privacy

Some Web sites will ask you to give them e-mail addresses of friends and family, but it’s not a good idea to do this without asking them first. Neither is it a good idea to forward an e-mail without asking permission from the sender.

Rule 3: Know your audience

While your friends won’t mind if you use slang, texting code (LOL, IMHO, etc.) or make a few spelling errors, use a more formal style of writing when talking to teachers or other adults.

Rule 4: Just the facts

When you have an ongoing e-mail conversation with someone, avoid re-sending the whole message when you reply. Keep your message brief and be sure to fill in the “subject” in the message heading.

Rule 5: Don’t spam your friends

Don't forward e-mail chain letters or spam (electronic junk mail) – you’re just passing on the clutter to someone else. No one needs these messages – as well as being a nuisance, they are prime spreaders of rumours and viruses.


Spotting Stereotypes Have you seen these television stereotypes? Draw a picture of each one, and underneath, write a few words that de-scribe its characteristics. The first is done for you.

Wolf Evil, Vicious, Cunning

Hero

Teacher Villain


Teen Girl

Nerd

Grandparent Teen Boy


No Stereotypes Now forget what you did on the previous page, and draw and describe some real-life characters in the boxes below. No stereotypes, please!

Wolf

Good parent, intelligent, endangered

Hero

Teacher Villain


Teen Girl Nerd

Grandparent Teen Boy


Wolves: Facts or Opinions? Identify which of the following statements are facts, and which are opinions. How can you find out this information?

Statement Fact or Opinion? Why?

Wolves are sly, cunning and mean.

Wolves live in packs or families.

Some North American native people think that the wolf is brave, loyal and intelligent.

Wolves are carnivores.

A wolf will only eat meat from a freshly killed animal.

Wolves have supernatural powers.

Wolves are very clever.

Wolves are always hungry.

Wolves will accept humans into their pack.

Some Inuit people use wolves as work animals.

Wolves can dig with their paws.

Wolves will gang up on a member of their own pack.

Wolves have a nine-week gestation period.


Wolves: Facts or Opinions? Answer Sheet This page clarifies which of the following statistics are facts, and which are only opinions.

Statement Fact or Opinion? Why?

Wolves are sly, cunning and mean. Opinion This statement makes a generalization about all wolves. It can be proven that most wolves do not exhibit these traits.

Wolves live in packs or families. Fact Animal-behaviour experts have observed that this is true.

Some North American native people think that the wolf is brave, loyal and intelligent.

Fact Ethnologists know that in the traditional mythol-ogy and spiritual beliefs of First Peoples, the wolf is portrayed as having these traits.

Wolves are carnivores. Fact The fact that wolves eat meat has been well documented.

A wolf will only eat meat from a freshly killed animal.

Opinion This statement has been proven to be incorrect: ranchers often insert poison into carcasses and leave them for wolves.

Wolves have supernatural powers. Opinion This statement has never been proven, so it is only an opinion.

Wolves are very clever. Opinion As a breed, the intelligence of wolves is well documented. However, some wolves may not be as clever as others.

Wolves are always hungry. Opinion

Scientists have observed that wolves have to work very hard for their meals. On average, only one in ten chases is successful. However, this doesn't mean that wolves are always hungry.

Wolves will accept humans into their pack. Opinion Although there are many legends about humans joining wolf packs, this has never been proven. Therefore, this statement is an opinion.

Some Inuit people use wolves as work animals.

Fact Anthropologists have observed that some Inuit people use wolves as work animals.

Wolves can dig with their paws. Fact Scientists and hunters have observed wolves digging out their dens.

Wolves will gang up on a member of their own pack.

Opinion

"Some wolves have been observed ganging up on another member of the pack," or "Wolves will sometimes gang up on a member" would be more accurate ways of describing this observation.

Wolves have a nine-week gestation period. Fact The gestation period of wolves is a scientifically proven fact.




Internet Glossary

To help you understand the language of the Internet, here's an alphabetical list of some common terms.

Bookmarks: A personal list of interesting Web sites. Bookmarks ("favorites" in Internet Explorer) make it quick

and easy to get to places on the World Wide Web, just as a marker in a book helps a reader find his or her place.

Browser: The software that lets users "surf" the Web and view pages on it. Internet Explorer and Firefox are two popular browsers.

Chat: The ability to talk live with others on the Internet. Some chat rooms and channels are monitored, meaning that people or software keep an eye on what is being said. Most are public (conversations can be seen by everyone), but private chat areas do exist. For safety, it's kids and teens should only visit monitored chat rooms and stay in the public areas.

Cyberspace: The virtual universe of computers and computer networks, especially the Internet. “Cyber” means computer, so “cyberspace” is essentially computer space.

Domain: A registered address for a Web site or an e-mail address. For example, the Media Awareness Net-work's domain is "media-awareness.ca." Its Web site is www.media-awareness.ca and its e-mail address ends with "@media-awareness.ca."

Download: The process of transferring computer files from the Internet to a computer.

E-mail: An electronic method of composing, sending and receiving messages over the Internet.

File-sharing: Programs or Web sites that let users share music, video, image or book files directly with other people. Examples of this software include BitTorrent and LimeWire.

Filtering tools: Software that limits where users can go online and what they can do. Filters may block access to certain sites or to some types of communication, such as e-mail, chat or IM, and may also set time limits. Many popular search engines offer filtering options to block any search results that are inap-propriate.

Firewall: An electronic security barrier to prevent outsiders from getting into a computer or network.

Instant Messaging (IM): A communications tool that combines the live nature of chat rooms with the direct contact of e-mail. Users have to download the IM software, and then agree to be part of an interconnected group (these users would make up a buddy list).


Internet: The Internet consists of countless networks of computers connected together across the world, allowing millions of people to share information. The World Wide Web, newsgroups, chat rooms, and e-mail are all parts of the Internet.

Netiquette: A combination of the words "Net" and "etiquette," netiquette refers to the online code of good manners for Internet users.

Profile: A profile is information a person shares about him- or herself online. Profiles are often included as part of online programs such as IM and social networking sites, but it's important to be careful in compiling a profile. Giving an online name rather than a real name, using an unidentifiable e-mail address and providing a drawing or cartoon instead of a photograph are all strategies that can help protect a person’s identity.

Search engine: A system that allows users to search enormous databases of Web pages by scanning their titles, keywords or text.

Server: The computer where Web sites and e-mail reside.

Social networking site: A Web site that lets users create a profile that other users can see. The profile can include as much (or as little) information as the user wants, including your name, address, age, hobbies, a photo, etc.. Other users who are “Friends” can see everything on your profile, while other users may be able to see some of it.

Spam: Unwanted bulk e-mail, the online version of junk mail.

URL: A uniform resource locator (URL) is the online address of a site or document. The URL for a Web page usually contains a domain name, a folder name and a file name. An example of a URL might be http://www.domainname/foldername/filename.

Virtual: Describes a computer-generated environment.

WWW (World Wide Web): The Web is the visual component of the Internet. Web pages can include text, pictures, sound clips, video, links, downloadable software and much more. The Web is only one part of the Internet, although the terms are often (and mistakenly) interchanged.

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